Switch-shifter for street-railway switches.



No. 773,179. PATENTED OUT. 25, 1904.

K J. w. ADY, JR. SWITCH SHIFTBR FOR STREET RAILWAY SWITCHES.

APPLIUATIOH FILED MAR. 7, 1904. I

2 SHEETS-BHEET 1.

N0 MODEL.

Y a a 6 a W F a 1 a J 0i. [W2 0 .1 n 2 2 m l av No. 773,179. PATENTED OCT. 25, 1904. J. W. ADY, JR. SWITCH SHIFTER FOR STREET RAILWAY $WITGHES.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 7, 1904. N0 MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED" STATES Patented October 25, 1904.

JOSEPH 1V. ADY, JR., OF COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO.

SWITCH-SHIFTER FOR STREET-RAILWAY SWITCHES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 773,179, dated October 25, 1904.

Application filed March 7,1904. Serial No. 197,035. No model.)

To all whom it 7)7/( 7/ concern:

Be it known that 1, JOSEPH W. ADY, J r., of Colorado Springs, in the county of El Paso and State of Colorado, have invented anew and useful Improvement in Switch-Shifters for Street-Railway Switches; and I do hereby declare the following, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and the numerals of reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, and which said drawings constitute part of this specification, and represent, in-

Figure l, a broken view, in front elevation, of a motor-car platform provided with one of my improved switch-shifters and also showing the track-rails; Fig. 2, a broken view thereof, in side elevation, but not showing the track-rails; Fig. 3, a broken detail view, in side elevation, showing the connection between the lifting-arm and the upright supportingpost of the switch-shifter proper; Fig. 4:, a view of the same parts in horizontal section on the line a b of Fig. 1; Fig. 5, a plan View of the switch-shifter with its upright supporting-post in horizontal section; Fig. 6, a reverse plan view of the switch-shifter; Fig. 7, a view thereof in left-hand side elevation; Fig. 8, a view thereof in rear elevation; Fig. 9, a view thereof in transverse section on the line 0 (Z of Fig. 6 to show the pivotal supporting-block and the recess provided for it in the lower face of the frame of the switch-shifter; Fig. 10, a plan view in the nature of a diagram, showing the main and guard rails and pivotal tongue of a switch and the relation thereto at different times of different parts of the switch-shifter, this view showing the phases passed through in shifting the switchtongue from right to left; Fig. 11, a corresponding view showing the shifting of the switch-tongue from left to right.

My invention relates to an improvement in shifters for the pivotal tongues of street-railway switches, the object being to provide simple, convenient, and reliable means for enabling the motorman from his platform on his car to shift the switch-tongues of the switches in the car-tracks.

WVith these ends in view my invention consists in a switch-shifter having certain details of construction and combinations of parts, as will be hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

In carrying out my invention, as herein shown the car-platform 2 is provided with hand-lever or manual 3, arranged to swing transversely to the longitudinal axis of the car. This lever is normally maintained in and restored to an upright position by two springs t, engaging with its opposite edges and located within suitable recesses formed for their reception in the platform. A flaring opening 5, extending downward through the platform, permits the lower end of the lever to be rigidly connected by an elbow 6 with the forward end of arock-shaft 7, supported in bearings 8 8, secured to the under side of the platform. This rock-shaft is provided at its rear end with two oppositely-extending lifting-arms 9, only one of which is shown. Here it may be remarked that each car is provided with two switch-shifters; but as they are duplicates of one another the illustration and description of one will suffice for both. At its outer end the lifting-arm 9 is provided with a fork 10, the opening 11 of which receives a pin 12, connecting the arm 9 with a square upright supporting post or stem 13, the upper end of which plays up and down in a square opening 14:, formed in the platform 2. This post also has bearing in a sleeve 15, supported by braces 16, depending from the under face of the platform. At its extreme lower end this post is secured to the main frame 17 of the switch-shifter proper.

The said frame 17 consists of an oblong block or thick plate, arranged in a horizontal plane and is supported and raised and lowered, as required, through the medium of the said post 13 and the means connecting the same with the hand-lever 3. At its forward end and in its right-hand corner the frame 17 is formed with an opening 18, receiving a vertically-movable cam 19, tothe cross-section of which the opening conforms in shape. This cam 19 is furnished at its upper end with a head 20, having ahorizontal slot 21, the upper wall of which is inclined and which receives a lifting-bar 22, the opposite ends of which are connected with the forward ends of two bowed or bell-crank levers 23, having elbows 23 and having their rear ends hung on studs 2%, located opposite each other and entering the opposite edges of the frame 17. A spring 19 engaging with the upper face of the head 20 exerts a constant effort to push the said cam 19 downward. About midway of its length the under face of the frame is formed with a deep recess 25, receiving a swinging supporting-block 26,turning on pivots 27, arranged in line with the longitudinal axis of the frame and about in line with the center thereof. A spring 25, located in the bottom of the recess 25, exerts a constant effort to keep the block 26 in its supportingor open position. To the rear of the swinging supporting-block 26 and at the left-hand corner of the frame 1 locate a fixed cam 28, having a supporting-surface 29, a short halfthrow cam-face 30, and a long full-throw camface 31.

For convenience in describing the operation of my improved switch-shifter I have shown in Figs. 10 and 11 such a switch as my device may be used with. This switch is of ordinary and well-known form, barring the difference that the switch-tongue 32 should be made a trifle shorter than these tongues are as ordinarily employed, so as to provide a clearance-space 33 between the free end of the tongue and the shoulder 34 in the main rail 35 and the shoulder 36 in the guard-rail 37. Now let it be supposed that a car provided with my improved switch-shifter is about to run on the switch, with the switchtongue at the left in the position in which it is shown by full lines in Fig. 10. Just before the car reaches the switch the motorman will seize the handle of the lever 3 and push the same in one direction or the other, as the case may be, whereby the switch-shifter will be forced downward from its normally elevated clearance position into its operating position close to the car-track. In the first place the lower end of the vertically-movable cam 19 will be engaged with the top of the rail and lifted against the tension of its spring 19 until the supporting-surface 29 of the fixed cam 28 is brought into engagement with the top of the guard-rail 37. The cams 19 and 28 will now ride over the rails with which they are respectively in contact until the cam 19 rides over the shoulder 34 of the main rail 35, when the cam will be immediately depressed by its spring 19 into the space 33. At this time the nose or point of the cam 19 will stand a little outside of the beveled free end or nose of the switch-tongue 32. Now as the car moves along, the curved inner surface of the cam 19 will engage with the nose and swing the tongue half-way and into its intermediate position, in which it is shown by broken lines in Fig. 10, which is all it will do so far as shifting the tongue is concerned. The swinging of the tongue into its intermediate posi- 1 tion, as described. brings it into line with the sup 'iorting-l'ilock 26, which is at this time in its open or depending position. In the continued forward movement of the car this block rides upon the tongue and supports and steadies the forward end of the switch-shifter, the rear end of which continues to be supported by the resting of the fixed cam 28 upon the guard-rail 37. Now in the further forward movement of the car the short or halfthrow cam-surface 30 of the cam 28 is engaged with the right-hand side of the free end of the tongue and completes the movement thereof into its left-hand positionyin which it is shown in full lines in Fig. 11. The switchtongue having been new shifted, the motorman releases the lever 3, when one or the other of its springs Loperates to restore it to its vertical position, and thus lift the switchshifter into its elevated or clearance position. Now let it be supposed that the car is moving in the same direction, but that it is desired to shift the switch-tongue in the opposite direction that is to say, from left to right. Shortly before the car moves onto the switch the motorman swings the lever 3, as before, with the effect of moving the. switch-shifter down upon the track. First of all the lower end of the vertically-movable cam 19 will be engaged, as before, with the top of the main rail 35, with the effect of lifting the block against the tension of its spring 19 until the su11)porting-surface 29 of the fixed cam engages with the top of the guard-rail 37. As the car moves forward the cam 19 will ride over the shoulder 34, when the cam will be pushed down to the bottom of the space 33 by the action of its spring 19, as before. The switch-shifter new advances in this position until the fixed cam 29 rides over the shoulder 36 of the guard-rail 37. The switch-tongue 32 not being at this time in its intermediate position will not now coact With the supporting-block 26 to hold up the switch-shifter, which will therefore descend still farther until the lower face of the frame 17 rests upon the top of both rails. As the frame makes this final downward movement the elbows 3 of the lifting-levers 23 engage with the rails and operate,th rough the lifting-rod 22 and the head 20 of the movable cam 19, to lift the same into its completely-retired or highest position, in which it is held until after the tongue 32 has been shifted. Now as the device moves still farther forward the long full-throw cam-surface 31 of the lixed cam 28 engages with the left-hand face of the free end of the tongue 32 and moves the same from left to right into its full-shifted position. During this swinging movement of the tongue it will engage with the pivotal supportingblock 26 and swing the same out of the way into its recess 25, which provides for its retirement during this action of the device. The tongue having been shifted, the motorman IIO releases the lever 3, which is by one of its springs restored to its upright position, with the effect of again lifting the switch-shifter into its normally elevated clearance position.

It is apparent that in carrying out my invention some changes from the construction herein shown and described may be made both as to the switch-shifter proper and as to the means employed for mounting and operating it. Thus the lever 3 might be replaced by a suitable device for adapting the switch to be operated by foot-power instead of by hand-power. I would therefore have it understood that I do not limit myself to the construction shown, but hold myself at liberty to make such changes therefrom as fairly fall within the spirit and scope of my invention.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a switch-shifter, the combination with a vertically-movable frame, of a verticallymovable cam mounted therein, and lifting-levers connected with the said cam for lifting the same and pivotally connected with the said frame in position to engage with the trackrails, whereby the levers are operated for lifting the cam into its retired position.

2. In a switch-shifter, the combination with a vertically-movable frame, of a verticallymovable cam mounted in the forward end of the said frame, lifting-levers connected with the said frame and cam and operated by the rails for lifting the cam into its retired position, and a fixed cam located upon the lower face of the rear end of the frame and having a long and a short cam-surface and a supporting-surface.

3. In a switch-shifter, the combination with a vertically-movable frame, of a verticallymovable cam located in the forward end thereof, lifting-levers connected with the said frame and cam for engagement with the track-rails whereby the cam is lifted into its retired position, a fixed cam located upon the under face of the rear end of the frame and comprising two cam-surfaces and a supporting-surface, and a pivotal supporting-block located between the vertically-movable cam and the fixed cam and swinging on an axis in line with the longitudinal axis of the frame.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOSEPH W. ADY, JR. I/Vitnesses:

FREDERIO C. EARLE, CLARA L. WEED. 

